TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE URBAN COMMUNITIES

In a partnership between the Aarhus School of Architecture, Aarhus Municipality, and the Danish Town Planning Institute, new approaches to sustainable transition are being investigated. Through in-depth site analysis and research in urban quality, a broad understanding of sustainability is integrated into municipal physical planning to create a cohesive transition for Aarhus Municipality.

The IPCC’s 2023 report states that the transition towards sustainable urban communities is too slow and that keeping the temperature rise below 1.5% requires action now. Additionally, the report points out that one of the key barriers is limited resources, lack of engagement from the private sector and citizens, low climate knowledge, lack of political commitment, limited utilization of research on climate change adaptation, and a low sense of urgency. With this starting point, this project, in a partnership between the Aarhus School of Architecture (AARCH), Aarhus Municipality (AAK), and the Danish Town Planning Institute, aims to combine research and practice to explore new approaches to creating a sustainable transition of our urban communities. The project is funded by the Innovation Fund and Aarhus Municipality. Aarhus Municipality will serve as a practical case study. AAK can be seen as a mini-model of Denmark. AAK includes all different urban typologies, consists of 50% agricultural land, and faces issues related to sea-level rise, afforestation, urbanization, mobility, energy production, etc. The project is funded by Aarhus Municipality and the Innovation Fund.

How can a deep understanding of a broad sustainability perspective and CO2 calculations be integrated with a thorough site analysis of the existing conditions and urban typologies? And how can this be integrated into municipal physical planning to ensure the transition of Aarhus Municipality as a cohesive urban community? The project’s thesis is that a deeper understanding and coherence between urban quality, site analysis, and a broad aspect of sustainability are necessary to form a stronger basis for a sustainable transition of our urban communities. This is necessary to make the required and correct decisions to ensure lower CO2 emissions, green mobility, and strengthened behavior as part of physical planning.

The research project has an application-oriented approach at the intersection of research and practice, working with architectural planning. In collaboration with AAK, the research project will investigate ‘urban sketches’ as a tool to gain deeper insights into the municipality’s outlying towns concerning a sustainable transition. Three to five outlying towns/urban districts will be selected to function as urban laboratories. These should broadly represent a selection of different urban typologies, serve as case studies, and be explored using qualitative methods, data collection, development of spatial scenarios, and citizen dialogues. Specific pilot projects will be carried out in each case, and each urban sketch will include accompanying implementation and action plans. The project is part of Aarhus Municipality’s ongoing work with urban sketches and other 1:1 projects.

The project’s goal is to present a plan for the sustainable transition of our urban communities by implementing a differentiated transition of different urban typologies. This should be based on an in-depth site analysis of the individual areas and their existing qualities. A sub-goal is to establish new understanding frameworks using better data, both qualitative and quantitative, and to develop new knowledge and test concrete initiatives. Danish urban communities consist of different urban typologies that represent different historical periods, planning traditions, housing visions, and urban cultures. However, we lack knowledge about the potentials and barriers these urban types pose for a sustainable transition. Therefore, it is crucial to establish a basis for analyzing the different urban types concerning a sustainable transition. With this project, we aim to gain insight into how different urban types can be transformed to meet a wide range of sustainability goals while improving urban quality and unique character. The goal is to achieve a transition that reduces CO2 emissions while improving the quality of life and strengthening the municipality as a cohesive and sustainable urban community.

Facts

Title of the project: Transition to Sustainable Urban Communities
Project leader (contact person): Kasper Albrektsen
External partners: Aarhus Municipality, City Architect Anne Mette Boye, Danish Town Planning Institute, Director Tina Saaby
Participating AAA researchers: Tom Nielsen